Fratello Cigars will be releasing a follow-up to the company’s line that gets its name from a reference to a comedic servant for the Italian theatre Commedia dell’arte.

The Arlequín Connecticut is made up of an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper covering an Ecuadorian binder and a filler blend made up of tobaccos grown in Nicaragua and Peru. The new line will include two different vitolas at launch, both packaged in 20-count boxes: a 5 1/2 x 52 robusto gordo with an MSRP of $11.50 and a 6 1/4 x 54 toro gordo with an MSRP of $12 each.

“I am thrilled to introduce our latest blend, which further enhances the renowned Arlequin series within our Italian collection,” said Omar de Frias, owner of Fratello, in a press release. “This new addition complements the already successful Arlequin line, aligning with our commitment to expanding our product offerings in one of our most successful lines.”

Fratello released the original Arlequín line featuring a Mexican San Andrés wrapper as part of a sampler known as the Fratello Space Fresh Pack in 2019 before a wider release the next year. Both Arlequin lines are being produced at Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí.

According to Fratello, the Arlequín Connecticut will be debuting at this month’s 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show taking place March 23-25 in Las Vegas and boxes are scheduled to begin shipping to retailers in May.

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halfwheel's coverage of the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show is sponsored by Drew Estate.
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Brooks Whittington

I have worn many hats in my life up to this point: I started out as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, then transitioned to photographing weddings—both internationally and in the U.S.—for more than a decade. After realizing that there was a need for a cigar website containing better photographs and more in-depth information about each release, I founded my first cigar blog, SmokingStogie, in 2008. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars, and it was one of the predecessors to halfwheel, which I co-founded.